THE BLOG

When we first saw the Craft Beer Branding Guide by the guys at CODO Design, we knew it was one for our keeper file. Born out of the website bearing its name, CODO teamed up with our pals at Neenah to produce a print version in pocket guide format. While the subject may be about craft beer, the strategy behind branding craft beer can be applied to many verticals. Especially those who have a physical product as part of their business. We shared the piece in the spring issue of The Parcel, it was an instant subscriber favorite. So we partnered up with our friends at AIGA to bring the team from CODO to Cleveland to share a bit about their business, their work and their love of craft beer and branding. It was a packed house at Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland for Craft Beer Branding with CODO Design & AIGA. Cody and Isaac dug deep and shared some really great insights into how they doubled down on a niche market to take their design firm national.

The Design Collection by Neenah features luxuriously tactile and colored papers available for commercial printing. It houses 15 different papers in one place, and features a richly colored grades like Stardream, Esse, Oxford, So…Silk, Plike, Slide, Astroking and Wild. That’s only half the story. Texture is the other word synonymous with The Design Collection. With finishes like Canvas, Felt, Pearlized, Heavy Vellum, Hi-Tech and Diffused, creatives have plenty to choose from. Options are good, right? Sometimes it makes it difficult to decide exactly what paper to use with a specific technique. That’s one reason why we love samples so much. Creatives and clients alike are visual. Thankfully, there’s Neenah’s new lookbook, The Design Collection – Surface Issue.

Parse & Parcel readers know we’re on a mission to make resources available to all creatives. So when we learn about like-minded endeavors, we have to share. Like so many creatives, we enjoy the pleasure of discovering a little gem. Especially those that have been given new life. This was the case when we were setting up the sample studio. In addition to the massive amounts of paper and print samples we keep on hand, we’re smitten with nostalic design memorabilia. When Jesse Reed and Hamish Smyth launched their reissue of the 1970 New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual on kickstarter, we backed it in the first few days. Its home is on the coffee table in our lounge area and always gets by our design friends who visit. There is definitely something about analog resources that attracts creatives. Luckily, Jesse and Hamish launched Standards Manual, a book store for designers.

It’s no secret we’re big fans of the National Stationery Show. So when our friends at Legion Paper asked if Parse & Parcel would like to participate in this year’s promotion, we jumped at the chance. Last year was the first time we partnered with them on the promo and had a blast with it. For this year’s promo, Show Us Your Money, participants got to create their own money to help celebrate the occasion.

Planning a wedding can be stressful. All those details that make an event so special can also be extremely overwhelming. Things like the perfect venue, caterer or invitations can make the most laid back couple want to elope. Now imagine you’re the groom who’s family also happens to make some of the most sought after papers in the print and design industry, talk about pressure! Brian French, the sixth generation of family-owned French Paper, is the groom I’m speaking of. And all I know is these were wedding invitations fit for a paper maker!

French Paper is known in the industry for its iconic branding. Their paper samples are highly sought after works by throughout the print and design community. So I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Brian and his bride to select the perfect paper, print and design details to announce their big day.

Are you tired of choosing a paper for a project, only to find out it’s not available locally or you can’t get it in small quantities? Yeah, we’ve there a time or twelve. It’s never fun, especially when the client has their heart set on something. Well, here’s your chance to do something about it and help influence what colored and textured papers become easier for designers to access.

With each issue of The Parcel, we like to include samples of “real-life” projects to demonstrate what is possible even under real-life constraints. We found a beautiful example we included in the summer issue of The Parcel.Oberlin Illuminated is an elegant, high-end photo book commemorating the end of a seven-year, $317-million fundraising campaign titled Oberlin Illuminate.

I’m so excited to share with you all our newest paper installation in the sample studio. Parse & Parcel’s sample studio associate and super talented artist, Molly Brill, is the creative mind behind all of our installations – this is number four if you’re counting. In this post, Molly shares her take on the entire process of transforming pixels into art through the medium of paper. Enjoy!

Tackling a blank canvas can be a daunting task for an artist. When your canvas is a wall that spans 24 feet, that feat becomes even greater. As an artist/designer you must utilize every skill set in your arsenal for a successful product. Every step you take in the beginning stages creates a foundation for a smooth process with less headaches. Of course, you can’t always predict every hurdle you might come across, but having a solid game plan sure takes away a lot of uncertainty.

By definition, the word classic means “serving as a standard of excellence : of recognized value.” In other words something that stands the test of time. Neenah’s CLASSIC® Brands have been around for 55 years. And that’s saying something in an industry that’s pretty fickle when it comes to paper grades with staying power. To give you some context, I started in the industry around the same time Survivor first aired. I’ve seen more papers come and go than torches snuffed out by Jeff Probst. So yes, it’s safe to say the CLASSIC® Papers live up to their name. But how exactly does a brand that is so iconic and classic undertake a refresh? Well, that was a collaborative process between Neenah Paper and Design Army that was a year in the making. I say it was well worth the wait because the results are stellar.

I start my workday pretty much the same way, by grabbing a sheet of paper and scrawling out all the things I want to accomplish. My method is to write down everything in my head. Once it’s on paper I can stop obsessing and start working. Of course I am overly ambitious, and by Friday my desk is cluttered with piles of half completed lists. I needed a better way to plan my workday and projects. I tried tons of analog options. After spending a small fortune on pretty, but non-functional planners, I was at a loss. Nothing worked for what I needed. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and am so excited to share Parse & Parcel’s very first stationery endeavor – The Planner.